Supporting forest peoples' rights

Forest Peoples Programme supports the rights of peoples who live in forests and depend on them for their livelihoods. We work to create political space for forest peoples to secure their rights, control their lands and decide their own futures.

A delegation of 14 indigenous leaders and human rights defenders from Africa, Asia, and South America have written a statement to the EU, after a 3-day forum on local solutions for closing the gap between policy and practice in the global agro-commodity trade.

Kenya Forest Service guards (KFS) have been continuing to harass and evict Sengwer indigenous people from their ancestral lands at Embobut. Meanwhile the Sengwer return when evicted, and continue to live there, now in makeshift homes.

The rapid growth in palm oil production to feed global demands for edible oils and biofuels is causing serious social and environmental problems yet plantations are set to double their extent in the next 20 years.